The Early Fly Family of Virginia: Part II

After the filing of
Jeremiah Fly's will for probate in 1736, mention of the Fly name in the
records of Isle of Wight and Southampton
was rare.[1]
Court records show that Jeremiah, John, Elisha, Jesse, Celia,
Saphera, Winnie and Sally Fly were all in the area between 1756 and
1791. Of all eight people by
the name of Fly, only two men, John & Elisha, can be traced with
certainty into the present day.
Another member of the family, William Fly, appeared in North Carolina in 1762 and left many
descendants.

John, the son of
Jeremiah Fly, was born about 1712 or after.
He was not 21 when his father wrote his will and was not named as
an executor in the will. No
John Fly appeared in any records for the area between 1733 and 1762, but
he was apparently the father of six or possibly seven children.
He may have lived and died in Nansemond County,
Virginia.
It borders Isle of Wight County, but
unfortunately most of the court records there were burned long ago.
John’s fate as an adult is unknown.
[2]

Each one of
Jeremiah’s grandchildren is described in detail here.
The documentary evidence is so scanty that in some cases complete
transcriptions of documents have been provided as well as a few abstracts.

Children of John Fly and Unknown Wife

She was born about
1735 in Isle of Wight Co. because in 1756, the vestry book of Newport
Parish, Isle of Wight County recorded a payment to Celia Fly for
"keeping her child". All
parishes were required to provide for the needy and destitute and
surviving vestry books record some of these payments.
The parish also fined her in 1756, but no reason was given.[3]
It seems quite likely that Celia was the mother of illegitimate
children. She was most likely a daughter of John Fly, son of Jeremiah
Fly, both residents of Newport Parish.
Celia Fly was also called Celea, Calia, Celah, & Selah.

In 1787, Celia
eventually married Robert Williamson of
SouthamptonCounty, who made his will
mentioning his wife, Celah.:

Feb. 27, 1787.Robert Williamson’s Will. In the name of God Amen. I Robert
Williamson of the county of Southampton and parish of Nottoway being in
perfect health and sound memory thanks be to God for the same I do
institute ------- and settle this to be my last will and testament in
the form following Vizt:

Item: I give unto my wife Selah Williamson the use of my land and plantation whereon I now
live containing 75 acres be the same more of less during her natural
life and at her death the said land unto John Williamson son of Jacob
Williamson to him & his heirs forever.

Also, I give unto my said wife the use of my still during her natural
life and at her death the said still unto Joshua Williamson son of Jacob
Williamson to him & his heirs forever.
I do give unto my wife Selah Williamson one half of my personal estate to her & her heirs
forever.

And
it is my will and desire at my death that the other half of my personal
estate after paying my just debts should be equally divided between John
Williamson, Joshua Williamson, and Valentine Jenkins also I appoint my
wife Selah Williamson and my
friend John Crumpler to be my absolute and whole Executors of this my
last will and testament disannuling all other wills from this date
whereunto I have set my hand and affixed my seal this twenty seventh day
of February one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven.
Signed sealed and acknowledged in presence of: John Crumpler,
Benjamin Crumpler, Arthur Crumpler.
Signed: Robert (his X mark) Williamson
[4]
Prob: Sept. 11, 1791[5]Selah Williamson
Executrix, John Crumpler- refused to be Executor

The date of
Williamson's
marriage to Celia Fly has not been found in any record and it seems that
Celia and Robert did not have any children.
Celia appears alone on July 8, 1787 Personal Property Tax List of
Southampton Countyand that indicates that Robert
probably died between late February and early July of 1787.

She died intestate
sometime in the fall of 1790 and her inventory was filed on Feb. 10,
1791:

Sally and Winnie Fly
were Celia's only specified heirs and they received equal shares.
If any of the Fly males had a right to her estate, they did not
make a claim. The fate of
Celia's two daughters, Sally and Winnie is not known, but it is possible
that Sally moved to
NorthamptonCounty to stay with
relatives:

Nov. 15, 1793.Cocke v s. Turner Tresp. On the motion of the Pltt to take the
depon of Sarah Fly living in
No Carolina Nohton county the same is granted giving legal notice &
[8]

On Feb. 12, 1778, a
Saphera Fly along with John Purcell and Ledbetter Lowe witnessed the
will of James Wright.[9]
Her identity is a complete mystery.
If she was Celia, then Celia's marriage to Robert Williamson
occurred after 1778. The name Saphera is extremely rare in this area,
but the possibility that she was Celia cannot be dismissed completely.

This son was born
before 1738 and disappeared after 1759. Jeremiah (Jessimian or Jessimiar)
Fly, the oldest son, appears once in the records of Isle of WightCounty and no where else.
The name written by the clerk is
difficult to read.

May 30, 1759.Isle of Wight Co., Virginia.
William Seagraves, Sr. and wife, Sarah Seagraves, of Newport
Parish to William Pass…100 acres adjoining William Eley, William
Seagraves, Robert Wall, Everet West, Edward Westray, Matthew Westray,
the New Field Branch and the main road (being the land said Seagraves
bought from Thomas Applewhite).
Wit: Robert Coggen, Mary (X) Coggen,
Jessemian Fly, Benjamin Pisnes(?), Jacob Bunckley, William
Seagraves.
Signed: William
(X) Seagraves, Sarah (X) Seagraves.
Rec. Dec. 6, 1759.[10]

It should be noted
that William Eley was involved in two documents also associated with
Fly—his land sale in 1759 and also a 1762 lease witnessed by John Fly.
In addition, the Westray name is associated with Elisha Fly in
Isle of WightCounty.
These were possibly neighbors or friends of the Fly family.
Great care has been taken to avoid confusing the names Fly and
Ely or Eley. Study of the
land may make it to possible to pinpoint the area in which John and
Jeremiah lived.

Although there is no
proof of a connection to the Southside Fly family, the appearance of the
name Jeremiah Fly in other colonies is included here. The Jeremiah Fly
of South Carolina and Georgia does not appear to be associated with the
Flay family of South Carolina
either. However, he does
appear in the Cheraw District of South Carolina in 1773 as a defaulting
petit juror.[11]

Then, a Jeremiah of
Richmond County, Georgia died in 1785 when his will was presented for
probate:

In
the name of God Amen. I
Jeremiah Fly of Richmond
County in the state of Georgia being sick and weak in body but of
perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God Calling to mind the
mortality of this Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die,
do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to say
fore---- and first of all I do Give my soul in to the hands of the
Almighty God who gave it and my Body I recommend to the earth to be
buried in a decent and Christian like manner nothing doubting but I
shall receive the same again at the General Resurrection by the power of
Almighty God and as touching such worldly Estate as it has pleased God
to bless me with. I do give, devise and dispose in the following manner.

First I do give and bequeath to my well beloved daughter
Susan Fly all my effects,
Cattle, Horse, Household furniture, Goods, Debts and Every thing else
that belongs or appertains to me by her freely to be possessed and
enjoyed. I do likewise
Constitute make and ordain Martin Moore of the place aforesaid the sole
Executor of this my Last will and Testament and do hereby disallow all
other Wills executors by me any wise made and do confirm this and no
other to be my Last Will & Testament in witness whereof I have set my
hand and seal this 13th day of Feb. one thousand Seven
hundred & eighty five.
Wit:
Willm Lee, Henry Elliot.
Signed:
Jerh. Fly (his C mark)
Prob. Feb. 19th, 1785
[13]

His daughter, Susan,
does not seem to have left any descendants.
The will does not indicate the existence of any other children.
And it is not possible to state as fact that this Jeremiah Fly came from
Southside Virginia.

William was most
likely born before 1741 and died about 1794 in Northampton Co., North Carolina. William
first appears in the records of Granville, North Carolina in 1762 and not at all in Virginia.
He is described at length in
The Early Fly
Family of North Carolina.

John was born before
1741 in Isle of Wight and died in
Northampton Co., NC in February of 1804. In 1762 in Isle of Wight Co.,
he witnessed a lease:

Nov. 2, 1762.Isle of Wight Co., Virginia.
Lease of William Eley, executor of Joel Cook, decd. to John Gray,
for and in consideration of the yearly rents and covenants…land where
Joel Cook formerly dewlt from the 1st. day of January next
til “ the heir comes to lawful age: for 5 pounds, 5 shillings on or
beforethe 1st. day of
January.
Wit: John Cook &
John Fly.
Signed: William Eley & John Gray.
Rec. Nov. 4, 1762.
[14]

At some time after this, John moved to Southampton and may have married there.
The birth date of his oldest son is estimated to have been about
1765. In 1769 in SouthamptonCounty, he was a witness in a case in
which Patience Jackson sued John Jackson for trespass:

April 13, 1769.Southampton Co., Virginia.: At a court held for the county of
Southampton on Thurs. April 13, 1769.
On the motion of Joseph Pope &
John Fly witnesses for John
Jackson at the suit of Patience
Jackson.
It is ordered that the sd. John pay them one hundred and fifty
pounds of neet (tobacco?) for one days attendance each of them on this
court.
[15]

On May 13, 1769,
John Jackson was found guilty and required to pay 6 pence in damages to
Patience Jackson!

John Fly was also
mentioned in the estate accounts of Arthur Purcell as someone who was
compensated in the process of settling the estate:

These are the only
appearances of a John Fly in the records of SouthsideVirginia.
in the middle to late 1700s. It is very important to keep in mind that
it is impossible to prove that the John described here was either John,
son of Jeremiah, or his son John who died in 1804 in Northampton Co.,
N.C. Here he is thought to
be John, grandson of Jeremiah.

Thomas Jefferson
Flythe, Civil War veteran and great-grandson of this man always said
that some time before the Revolution, two brothers, John and Enos, came
across the line from Virginia and settled in Northampton Co., NC.
This is probably correct except for the fact that Enos, born in
1776 according to the 1850 Census, was a son of John not a brother.
The brother that John referred to was probably Elisha Fly, who
moved from Southampton County,
Virginia to Northampton before the
Revolution.

Elisha was born
before 1746 and died before 1800 in Northampton Co., NC.
He first appears in a court document on June 4, 1767 in Isle of
Wight Co., Virginia.
when he obtained a judgment against Benjamin Westray and was represented
in court by Lemuel Riddick:

At a court held for Isle of Wight Co.
June 4, 1767.

On
the petition of Elisha Fly against Benjamin Westray for two pounds three shillings
and Nine pence due by account.
This day came the pltfs by Lemuel Riddick his attorney and the
def. by John Day his attorney and the court having examined the evidence
and heard the parties it is therefore considered the said Elisha recover
his demand aforesaid against the said Benjamin together with his costs
by him in this behalf appended.
_______

On the motion of John Little an evidence for
Elisha Fly against Benjamin
Westray It is ordered that the said
Elisha pay to the said John
Little twenty five pounds of neet tobacco for one days attendance at
this court
________

On the petition of Nathan Cook as evidence for
Elisha Fly against Benjamin
Westray. It is ordered that
the said Elisha pay to the
said Nathan twenty five pounds of nett tobacco for one days attendance
at this court.
________

On the motion of John Cook as evidence for Benjamin Westray at the suit
of Elisha Fly
It is ordered that the said Benjamin pay to the said John twenty
five pounds of nett tobacco for one days attendance at this court.
________

On the motion of Sarah Cook an evidence for Benjamin Westray at the suit
of Elisha Fly.
It is ordered that the said Benjamin pay to the said Sarah twenty
five pounds of nett tobacco for one days attendance at this court.
[17]

By 1772, Elisha had
moved south to SouthamptonCounty.

Jan. 10, 1772.On the motion of Thomas Tyner, John Parker and
Elisha Fly witnesses for
Edward Fulgham, jr. against William Ellis it is ordered that the sd.
Edmund pay the said Parker one hundred and twenty eight pounds of
tobacco for two days attendance on this court & traveling twenty-six
miles, Thomas Tyner one hundred and twenty two pounds of tobacco for two
days attendance on this court and traveling twenty four miles &
ElishaFly fifty pounds for two days attendance on this court according to
law.
[18]

Tyner and Parker
were both to be paid for their services as witnesses and for
traveling to the courthouse.
Elisha Fly was to be paid a witness fee, but no travel expenses. He
probably lived near the county seat
Jerusalem, now called Courtland. This is not far
from the Northampton County, North Carolina border.

Later that spring,
Elisha went to court again to obtain further witness expenses:

At
a court for the county
of
Southampton the
15th day of May 1772
On the motion of Elisha
Fly a witness for Edmund Fulgam agst. William Ellis ordered that the
sd. Edmund pay him two hundred pounds of tobacco for eight days
attendance on this court according to law.
[19]

Elisha, like so many
other planters at this time, occasionally experienced some debt:

Richard Keller comes into court and undertakes for the defendant that in
case the said defendant shall be cast in this suit he will pay and
satisfy the recommendations of the court or render his body to prison in
discharge thereof of that he the said Richard will do it for him.
Whereupon this day came the plaintiff by his attorney as the
defendant in his proper person who confessd the pltfs action for
Eighteen pounds three shillings & 6 __ the debt in the declaration mentd
and his cost by him in his suit in his behalf expended and he said deft
in money & c. But this
judgment except as for the cost
is to be discharged by the payment of nine pounds one shilling
and nine pence together with interest from the 9th day of
July 1772 ____ past.
[20]

Richard Keller,
seems to have been surety[21]
for Elisha Fly. Individuals
providing surety in court cases were often relatives or neighbors of the
person in a suit.

Elisha was still
living in Southampton the next year
when he again appeared in court:

April 8, 1773.
On the motion of Elisha Fly a
witness for Thos. Handcock against Edmund Fulgham Ordered that the sd.
Thomas pay him three hundred and twenty five pounds of tobacco for
thirteen days attendance on the court according to law.[22]

Elisha also served
as a juror:

Edward Fisher plt vs. Anthony Calthorpe- in debt

This day came the parties by their attorneys and thereupon came also a
jury to wit: Hartwell, Dempsey Johnson, John Powell, Nathan Barnes,
Arthur Doles, Joshua Wood, Elisha
Fly, James Fowler, Benajmin Turner, Jethro Joyner, Henry Applewhite
& Thomas Handcock who being elected tryed and sworn the truth do speak
upon the issue joined do say that the def. hath not paid the debt in the
declaration mentioned in
manner and form as the plaintiff against him he has complained therefore
it is considered by the court that the plaintiff recover against the
said defendant thirty pounds the debt in the declaration mentions & his
cost by him about his suit in this behalf expended & the said defendant
in marcy & c: (?) But this judgment excepted as to the debt is to be
discharged by the payment of six pounds two shillings & six p together
with interest from the 12th of June 1769
[23]

Jurors were supposed
to be men of property. This
usually meant land owners, but could refer to other personal property
ownership. Unfortunately, no
Fly land deeds at all were recorded in Southampton
so if Elisha was a land owner, he did not record the deed.
Elisha was again a juror:

April 8, 1773.
Jordan Denson admitor of all and singular the goods and chattels of
Joseph Denson decd.} plf Vs.
William West………………………………………………………Dft} in Debt

This day came the parties by their attorneys and thereupon came also a
jury to Wit: Hartwell Howell, Dempsey Johnson, John Powell, Nathan
Barnes, Arthur Doles, Joshua Wood,
Elisha Fly, James Fowler, ……………
(Southampton Co. Order Book 1772-1777, p. 161)

One of the last appearances
of Elisha Fly in Virginia
court documents was for failing to attend church:

It is interesting
that Elisha Fly was listed next to William Bulls and that Jesse Bulls
also lived in Nottoway Parish.
William and Jesse Bulls were Elisha’s first cousins since their
fathers were half brothers. Perhaps Elisha was living with William
Bulls.

Elisha left
SouthamptonCounty after April of 1774, probably with
his brother John Fly. That
April, Elisha was involved in a court case in which his brother Jesse
Fly was accused of fleeing the county & leaving unpaid debts behind.
Elisha was thought by the court to possess some of Jesse Fly’s
property.

Elisha’s wife,
Margaret “Peggy” Allman, came from the Isle of Wight-Nansemond County
area. The records of
Nansemond have been burned & a marriage date for Elisha and Peggy is not
available. They were
probably married about 1775 in Nansemond or
SouthamptonCounty.

She was most likely
a daughter of Aaron Allman and granddaughter of James Allman. A Peggy
Allman was mentioned in the 1757 will of James Allman in Isle of WightCounty:

The will does not
state the identity of the father of Peggy Allman, but in view of the fact
that Peggy named her younger son Aaron Allman Fly, it is highly likely
that Aaron was her father. Elisha & Peggy also had another son, John
Allman Fly, further supporting the likelihood that Peggy Fly was an
Allman daughter. In addition, James listed his grandchildren in the
order of his children’s birth.
That places Peggy as a daughter of Aaron.
Peggy was not a Cherokee woman as some claim.

Aaron Allmand’s
birth was recorded in Gloucester County,
Virginia on Sept. 14, 1727 and he died on May
10, 1792 in Nansemond County,
Virginia.[26]
According to some sources, Aaron Allman Fly was born in 1792 and
was probably named for Peggy’s recently deceased father.

Peggy’s mother was
Susanna Frith. She gave
birth to a Margaret Allman on Dec. 24, 1753, but the child died the next
March well before James Allman wrote his will.
A second child was born to Aaron and Susannah on Jan. 11, 1755.
[27]
This child was probably another Margaret and was the
granddaughter mentioned in James Allman’s 1757 will!

Jesse Fly appears in
one court case in Isle of Wight County on April 1, 1773 so was probably
born before 1752.

Thurs. April 1, 1773.Jesse Fly, pltf against Ann
Eley & Thomas King, Exors. of John Eley, decd, defds.
This day came the parties by their attorneys & the defendants
saving and reserving to themselves all advantage of exception as well as
to the plaintiffs writ as to his declaration prays and has leave to
Imparte til the next court and then to plead
[28]

The case was
continued. The next court
record showed that the court wanted Jesse Fly to find surety for himself
as plaintiff.

Upon the mottion of the defendants by their attorney.
It is ordered that unless the plaintiff shall find sufficient
suretey for the costs of this suit at the next court that the said suit
shall be dismissed.
[29]

Then in early 1774,
Jesse’s case was dismissed and the court ordered both parties to pay
their witnesses for their services:

The plaintiff having failed to find security for the costs of this suit
& failing so to do on the motion of the defendants by their attorney.
It is ordered that the same be dismissed and that the plaintiff
pay unto the defendants their costs_________

Ordered that Ann Eley & Thomas King Executors of John Eley, decd. pay
unto Aron Spivey one hundred and twenty five pounds of tobacco for five
days attendance at this and former courts as a witness at the suit of
Jesse Fly_________

Ordered that Jesse Fly pay
unto William Turner one hundred and seventy five pounds of tobacco for
seven days attendance at this and former courts as a witness for him
against Ann Eley & Thomas King, Execs. of John Eley deceased.
__________

Ordered that Jesse Fly pay
unto Jesse Britain one hundred and seventy five pounds of tobacco for
seven days attendance at this and former courts as a witness for him
against Ann Eley & Thomas King, Execs. of John Eley, decd.
__________

Ordered that Jesse Fly pay
unto William Kerr one hundred and seventy five pounds of tobacco for
seven days attendance as a witness for him against Ann Eley & Thomas
King, Execs. of John Eley, decd.
__________

Ordered that Ann Ely & Thomas King Executors of John Ely deceased pay
unto William Eley 100 pounds of tobacco for four days attendance as a
witness for them at the suit of Jesse Fly__________

Ordered that Ann Ely & Thomas King Executors of John Ely dec. pay unto
John Lawrence, gent. one hundred & fifty pounds of tobacco for six days
attendance at this & former courts as a witness for them at the suit of
Jesse Flye__________

Ordered that Ann Ely & Thomas King Executors of John Ely deceased pay
unto Elias Hering 390 pounds of tobacco for six days attendance and
travelling twenty miles four times as a witness for them at the suit of
Jesse Fly
[30]

The dispute with Ely
and King was quite intense.
Soon after his Isle of Wight court case was dismissed because Jesse
could not provide surety, Ely and King sued Jesse Fly in SouthamptonCounty.
However, Jesse had left the area and Jos Mounfort and Elisha Fly
were held accountable for Jesse’s debt.
They were thought to have some of Jesse’s property:

Ann
Eley & Thos King Extors & c of John Eley having obtained an attachment
against the estate the Jesse Fly who hath privately removed himself or – absconded that
that the ordinary process of the law cannot be served upon him for a
debt due from the said Jesse Fly
to the said Ann Ely & als Charles Briggs Gent Sheriff now made return
that he executed the said attachment in the hands of Jos (?) Mounfort
and Elisha Fly and that he had summoned the said Jno (?) Mountfort and
that he had summoned him as _________ who being sworn deposed that he
hath ________ belonging to the estate of the said defendant and Three
pounds subject to a constable attachment
_______ Kellas fee 16/3 and 2/16 costs also the sheriffs (fees??)
levys 9/16. ( Interlining
unreadable here….) It is
considered by the court First they---------- recover agst the said
defendant Eight hundred and forty six pounds of tobacco and fifteen
shillings. Ordered that the
garnishee pay the Balance in his hands towards satisfying the said
judgment and that an attachment be issued against the other garnishee[31]

There is no record
of any payment to the plaintiffs by the garnishees Fly or Montfort.

This Jesse Fly may
have been the father of a Jesse Fly born in 1789 in North Carolina. This
younger Jesse Fly, a saddler, was closely associated in Tennessee with his cousin John Dixon Fly, son
of the John Fly who died in 1804.
Jesse Fly was the founder of the
Illinois
branch of the family.

[1] The claim that
these Fly people were Quakers has been investigated, but is
unfounded. Rev.
Norman Flythe examined Quaker records for this time period and
did not find any mention of the Fly family. [2] Claims that John
Fly lived to be 112 or 120 years old are completely unfounded.
Nor is there any evidence at all that he died in
Tennessee
as some state.[3]Hopkins, William Lindsay,
Suffolk Parish Vestry Book 1749-1784
Nansemond County,
Virginia and
Newport
Parish Vestry Book 1724-1772
Isle of Wight County,
Virginia,
p. 148, 149[4] Brantley Family
Association Website, Southampton Project, Will Book #4, page
267-8[5] The 1791 date
appears to be an error.
The estate inventory was recorded in Oct. 14, 1790.
This could not have been done unless probate had been
granted.[6] Chapman, Blanche
Adams, Wills and
Administrations of
Southampton County,
Virginia 1749-1800. p. 123[7] Brantley Family
Association Website, Southampton Project, Will Book #4, page 708[8]
Brantley Family Association Website,
Southampton Project, Court
Minute Book, 1793-1799, p. 55)[9] Chapman, Blanche
Adams, Wills and
Administrations of
Southampton County,
Virginia 1749-1800. p. 71[10]Isle of Wight County,
Virginia Deed Book #10, p. 161[11]South Carolina Archives
online[12]Knight,
Georgia’s
Roster of the Revolution, p.82[13] Will Books
1777-1900, Index to Wills 1777-1757, LDS Reel # 158548[14]Isle of Wight County,
Virginia Deed Book #11, p. 76[15]Southampton County Virginia Court
Order Book 1768-1772, p. 94[16] Brantley Family
Association Website, Southampton Project,
Southampton Co.,
Virginia., Will Book II, p. 372[17]Isle of Wight,
Virginia, Order Book 1764-1768, p. 432[18]SouthamptonOrder
Book 1768-1772b, 494[19]SouthamptonOrder
Book 1768-1772b, 540[20]SouthamptonOrder
Book 1772-1777, p. 85[21] Surety meant
that a person was willing to support financially the
principle person in a suit or bond.
A person serving as surety could end up paying the fees &
debts of the principal person participating in a suit. [22]SouthamptonOrder
Book 1772-1777, p. 161[23]SouthamptonOrder B
1772-1777, 162[24]SouthamptonOrder B
1772-1777, p. 282-3[25] Chapman,
Blanche Adams, Wills and
Administrations of
Isle
of Wight County,
Virginia,
1647-1800, (Baltimore,
Maryland, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1975)
p. 186[26] Topping, Kym
email of April 1, 2010, Notes About Allmand Family from Allmand
Barbara J. “Three
Virginia Families” Allmand, Parker, and
Sinclair, 1995, p. 5[27] ibid[28]Isle of Wight County,
Virginia Order Book 1772-1780, p. 109[29]Isle of Wight County,
Virginia Order Book 1772-1780, p. 239[30]Isle of Wight Order Book 1772-1780, p. 251-252[31] Southampton
Co.: Order Book 1773-1777, p. 351